The Dancing Dragons
by mike50333
Summary: Dance.  It's a physical incarnation of art that can take on many meanings and purposes.  For some, it is a form of expression, to demonstrate one's love for another.  For others, it is a form of healing and restoration.  Ty LeeXOC; No Slash.


**A/N: You know, for a guy who doesn't have a girlfriend and has declared to have a single man's life 'til I'm thirty years old, I sure am writing a lot on romance, lately. Well, I hope you all enjoy, and as always: Read, Revel (or Regurgitate), and Review!**

**NOTE: There is a song around which this dance revolves entitled Mosane by E.S. Posthumus. I _STRONGLY_ recommend that you listen to this song before reading this fic; you can find it by searching the Youtube.**

**And as criping-always, I do NOT own anything along the lines of Avatar: The Last Airbender EXCEPT the character Zhan. Thank you.  
**

* * *

The Dancing Dragons

* * *

_"Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe... and be thou ravished alway with her love."_

_~Proverbs 5:19

* * *

  
_

_Vida…_

Ty Lee's eyes were slow to open as she stirred in her bed. She looked out of her window, one of many in the Fire Lord's summer estate (she was one of a select few invited for a weekend of vacation with Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Mai during the former's birthday celebration). She had a clear view of the beach from her room, which sat on the upper level of the house. From her comfortable divan, she saw the orange of the sky. It was early morning. The sun was just starting to break over the horizon of the ocean.

_Vida…_

A voice drifted faintly in her ears. It was that of a young woman. It was soft, gentle and inviting. The voice was beckoning for her. She wasn't sure why, as the word 'vida' was of a tongue she was unfamiliar with, but she just knew that it was some sort of call for her attention. It felt like it was coming from the shore. She crawled out of her bed, fixed the sheets, slipped on her beloved circus garbs and tipped-toed out of the house.

The acrobat trotted daintily through the thin groves of pineapple trees as she neared the thin layer of sand that ringed the exotic cay that was Ember Island. Moving forward, she heard the voice again. It sounded closer this time, still soft and mysterious. When she reached the sand line, she smiled, taking in the beautiful sunrise as the sky seemed to burn with fire, much like the passionate flame that kindled within her heart whenever she thought of her love.

'_We'll see each other again. I promise.'_

Those were the last words she'd heard him say before he left his new home on Kyoshi, being assigned one of the chief peacekeepers within the Fire Nation. It was a dangerous job, but one he was glad to receive. It'd been a year now since he made that promise. Though Ty Lee's heart ached with every day, hour and even moment of his absence, she still never lost hope that he'd come back, that she'd once again be wrapped in the secure embrace of his strong but gentle arms.

_Vida…_

She walked along the beach next to the water in a leisurely stride and closed her eyes, hands joined behind her as she took in the morning spray of the surf and the refreshing smell of the ocean. The voice grew ever closer in her ears. This time, though, it was followed by another voice. It was also young, but male and cheery. This voice also was beckoning her, but this time, addressed her by name. She looked up to see a boy standing on the beach, waving a hand in the air in greeting. Ty Lee's blissful stroll exploded into an overjoyed sprint. Sand flew into the sky as the rapid pounding of her petite feet caused a cloud of granulated dust to kick up behind her. Her eyes welled with joyous tears and her heart banged like a drum as ecstasy rushed over her.

"Zhán!" she shouted as she ran straight into his outstretched arms. The force of her slam easily overpowered the boy and brought them both to the ground, causing yet another cloud of sand to fly upward. Her undone hair draped around the boy's face, forming a curtain as she slammed her lips into his. Though the kiss was brief, it said so much to both of them. After a brief minute, Ty Lee finally released him of her pincer-grip of a hug.

"You've never been much of a 'hey, how's it going?' kind of girl, have you, Ty Lee?" Zhán asked jokingly as he sat up. He flashed that smile, the one that always made Ty Lee feel at peace with the world. She couldn't help but return the same.

"You know me by now, Zhán. That simply wouldn't be any fun!" she replied with a laugh, rising to her knees while using them to keep his legs pinned to the ground. "So what are you doing here?"

"I was granted temporary leave from peacekeeping endeavors in the Fire Nation, but was a day late in getting here."

"Ran into a little trouble on the way out?" Ty asked with a playful smirk.

Zhàn shrugged. "Just a small anarchist riot in the capitol; nothing major. Anywho, something kinda weird happened. When I arrived this morning, I heard a woman's voice. It said something I've never heard before… 'Vida…'"

"Are you serious?" Ty Lee cried. "The same thing happened to _me! _I heard that voice, and then I suddenly felt like I had to come to the beach! Do you think the Spirits are trying to say something? Trying to bring us together for some reason?"

"I doubt it. We're already together, as that kiss earlier confirmed," Zhán teased, "and if the spirits _were _trying to tell us something, I'm pretty sure they'd speak in a language we could actually…understand… Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ty Lee smiled at her lover's perplexity. She grabbed his hand and jerked him to his feet. "Since we're here, why don't we dance?"

After waiting a few seconds for the request to filter into his mind, Zhán asked, "Right now? I mean, I just got here."

The acrobat poked out a quivering lip and her eyes shined like that of a begging puppy's. In the most adorable whiney voice she begged, "Pleeeeease?"

Zhán grinned gently. It was amazing how she had this power over him, to make him yield to even the silliest of appeals... "Well who am I to deny the request of such a lovely lady?"

Ty giggled. Something about those words and the voice accompanying them reminded her of the wise and flattering voice of Uncle Iroh.

"Do you remember that routine from after the war's end?" Zhàn asked.

Ty Lee nodded.

Taking a step back, Ty Lee gave Zhán a Fire Nation salute as he did the same. They then placed their right arms together, side-by-side with their palms and fingers pointed up, and placed their left arms behind their backs. They then began to circle each other. When they did this, they could both hear a chorus of voices ringing as clear as day in their ears. This vocal rise sounded like it was coming from all sides, as if they were dancing in the center of a band of singers. They looked around, seeing no one around them on the beach or in the trees, all the while still circling each other. When they locked eyes again, the vocal reached its zenith and softly faded away. Then they heard a voice that caused Ty's heart to jump.

_Vida!__  
Vera misi vom to le,  
Vera misi vom va se,  
Viserama…_

It was the same voice as the woman from earlier. At the hearing of these words, Zhàn grabbed Ty's left hand with his own and performed a twirling positional switch, twirling her behind him while maintaining his own position. This movement allowed them to flow into a rotation going in the opposite direction, now with their left arms joined togehter. The motion was perfectly fluid for both of them.

_Vida__!  
Viste misi om na me,  
Viste misi om va se,  
Viserama…_

Once more, the dancing duo completed another twirl-and-switch, returning to their original circle, slowly forming a Figure-8 in the sand. There was something about the voice that struck Ty Lee as familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. Staring into Zhàn's eyes, she noticed the glinting shimmer of collecting tears. She almost grew worried until she saw his smile. It was bursting with a certain kind of joy that she just couldn't put into words. She hadn't seen this smile since they'd reunited under Agni's Falls… She wondered what was going through his mind, and then it struck her.

In a hushed whisper, she asked, _"Is…that…?"_

Zhàn simply nodded, a tear rolling down his face.

Ty smiled in understanding.

"_Her voice truly _is _beautiful…"_

_Si ache are ano__,  
Va sere malino,  
Hanavi chiva, se ome,  
Oome omina…_

During this stanza, the duo joined both hands and went into a rotating switch, swapping places with a twirl. Their bodies barely passed an inch from each other during this move. After this, Zhán released Ty Lee with one hand, and twirled her around with the other. Ty Lee smiled at the dizzying sensation. She then felt Zhán grab her free hand again when they were back-to-back and pulled her forward while he kneeled down. Zhán then released her hands again after she went into a closed-bodied flip and landed on his shoulders, and snapped himself up like a springboard in an effort to launch her into the sky. With a pump of her legs, Ty Lee assisted the launch and was airborne.

She shot into the air with her arms and legs stretched straight above and below her, resembling a human arrow. She easily climbed into the air with little resistance. When she approached the zenith of her rise, she shifted into a series of closed-bodied flips. Upon reaching that zenith, she returned to her previous form, but this time with her hands opened and arms stretched to the ground. She then went into a twirling spin with fire roaring from her open palms as she began her descent back to Earth. Zhán, standing upright and ready to receive his lady, smiled at the display as the orange flames danced around him, forming a large, spacious ring. With the fiery illumination of the 'dance floor' complete, Ty Lee landed on the ground with a perfect curtsey in time to be received into Zhán's grasp once more as she was pulled into a graceful twirl that ended with her in his arms.

Zhán snapped his girlfriend back to arm's length again and they circled each other one more time in the center of the ringing inferno in time for the next stanza to begin.

_Vida!  
Soma isti no male__,  
Isera, y mana mosane…_

They could hear an explosion of music now as stringed instruments were being played. The pace of the music was lively, brisk and aggressive. Just like their element.

With an underhanded sweep of her arm and a firm step forward, Ty Lee made the first move, launching a fast stream of flame towards Zhán. The boy responded with a near-miss sidestep. He then shoved his left hand forward to return the gesture, a ball of fire forming from his hand and rocketing towards Ty Lee. At the same time, he placed his right hand beneath the left, pointed at the flame as it whizzed past him. This gave him control as he whipped it towards Ty Lee. The acrobat simply twirled around the third flame and used that same move to guide the other two around her and back to Zhán. Red eyes glowing in mirth and heart pounding in excitement, Zhán responded with a rise of his right knee and both of his palms as the inbound flames suddenly changed course and surged straight for the sun.

As the instrumental chorus repeated its first measure, it looked as if the dance had turned into a skirmish. From outside the ringing firewall, all that could be seen was the balls of fire that drew above the flaming curtain. But on the inside, unity, grace and ecstasy were taking on personified form. With every flame that flew from Zhàn's fists or Ty Lee's fingertips, the duo dodged them and pushed nearer each other. With every duck, block and deflection, they mirrored each other's movements until they were at arm's length. When they reached close proximity, Zhàn reached out a hand. When Ty accepted, he pulled her into another dizzying twirl and then she squealed in delight as he slipped her into a fast yet graceful dip.

_Si ache, areno__,  
Vasere, malino,  
Hana vi, chila, se nome,  
Oome omina…_

The instrumental chorus resumed, but this time at a slow and calm pace, allowing for a brief breather as they joined arms and circled again.

"Hey Ty," Zhàn said, trying to avoid panting with their dance not yet over, "have you noticed that this song seems to be in near-perfect sync with our dance?"

"Really? I thought it was the other way around," Ty huffed. "Can you believe we remember all these moves?" she laughed. "It's been about a year since we did this!"

"Well, now comes the finale. You ready?"

Ty simply nodded with a confident grin. She then closed her eyes as Zhàn led her through her last one-handed spin. This time, though Zhàn spun her twice, once with him standing still, and once with him joining in with a spin of his own. He then received Ty Lee's other hand as they stood back-to-back, heads bowed as they awaited the next vocal stanza.

_Vida!  
Soma isti no male__,  
Isera, y mana mosane…_

The music picked up again, just like before and they released each other's hands. With a hiking of one leg and an upward rise of their hands, their palms and fingers pointing to the heavens, two flames materialized. As the flames pushed towards the sky, the heads of the flames took on the forms of dragons as Ty Lee and Zhán began to move through the Dragon Dance kata set. With each kick of the leg and each sweep of the arms, the orange 'dragons' reacted to the teens high above them, matching their 'masters' movements with a snaking version of their own. Upon reaching the end of their cycle, Zhán's and Ty Lee's fists met, at which point the music came to an end. The dragons' response was to circle each other until they took the form of a giant fireball.

As Ty Lee and Zhán looked up, not moving from their joined position, the flaming sphere materialized into the form of a single, giant dragon.

As they stared in awe, they couldn't help but notice one small thing. That was _not _in their dance routine. The dragon let out a roar as fire poured from its flaming mouth, and then it swooped down towards the teens. Dumbfounded by this strange wonder, they were powerless to move as the living fire swept over them.

When the dragon passed overhead, the duo finally broke from each other and jerked toward the direction it had passed, catching it in the midst of its ascent. What they saw next left them speechless. Before it was out of sight, they could see two figures materialize upon the back of the dragon. The first was a boy, young and innocent. The second was a girl, bubbly and pure. As Zhán looked hard, he could vaguely see a small trail of fire behind the girl's head as she draped her hands around the boy's waist. Ty Lee gazed speechlessly as she saw two auras erupt from the flaming children, both bursting with a vibrant hot pink that seemed to radiate brighter as they traveled further away.

The two lovers smiled and stared in awe at this magnificent sight. When the dragon finally faded away, they took in a deep breath, leveled their hands at the collar-bone, and breathed out as their hands hovered down to their stomachs. The flame that marked the dance-floor died away to reveal two startling finds. First, surrounding them was no longer sand, but rather a layer of crystal. Second, they weren't alone. They'd accrued an audience, with nearly everyone from Fire Lord Zuko's summer home standing around them, inside the firewall ring.

"Now _THAT _is what I call a Dancing Dragon!" Aang piped, practically jumping up-and-down with excitement.

"That was amazing!" Suki added. She then turned to Sokka who was standing next to her and threw a hot glare at him. "Why don't _you _ever wanna dance with me?"

"Suki, we've been over this. Dancing is girly," Sokka refuted coolly.

Now Zhàn and Aang were shooting hot glares at Sokka. "And what's wrong with girly?" they shouted in unison. After a brief minute of thought, they both realized, "…That did _not_ come out right."

Sokka smirked wryly, assuming victory. However, Zhàn wasn't about to let Sokka have the last laugh.

"Do you have _any idea_ the amount of training that goes into a dance like this? This sort of stuff isn't easy, and you don't learn it just by watching or doing it once! Ty Lee and I spent over a month practicing these moves; it took a lot of time, blood, tears and a _whoooole lot of sweat_ for us to perfect this dance! Besides…" He pulled Ty Lee in for yet another graceful dip. "It's a great way to keep your girl satisfied," Zhàn finished, his smirk at Sokka shouting 'I bet you ain't got _this _with Suki!'

Ty Lee giggled at the dip, and then laughed with excitement as Zhàn scooped her off her feet. Katara simply shook her head. Zhàn and Sokka were always trying to outshine each other, trying to be the "better boyfriend." Katara then asked the firebending duo Zhàn sat Ty upon his shoulders, "How did you do that thing with the dragons?"

"I think Ty Lee's the one who came up with that trick," Suki answered. "When the Fire Nation circus stopped by Kyoshi Island for a couple days last year, shortly after Ty Lee started training, there was a firebender who specialized in theatrical firebending."

"After seeing him in action," Ty Lee picked up, "I asked if he could teach me a couple things. When the ringmaster put in a good word for me, he decided to go ahead and teach me how to make a dragon and how to control its movements. After a little practice…and burning down a couple of huts on Kyoshi, I finally got the hang of it and 'taught' it the Dancing Dragon. Then I taught that to Zhàn, and we came up with this."

"Yeah, but we have no idea what happened with that one big dragon at the end," Zhàn clarified with confusion written on his own face. "When we joined fists, the dragons were supposed to join together, twirl around in a series of twists and then dive into opposite sides of the firewall. The big guy definitely wasn't of our own doing."

"Hey!" a voice called from along the tree line. It was Zuko. "If you kids are done playing around out there, breakfast is ready!"

Before the word 'breakfast' was out completely, Sokka was already sprinting like a dog on a rabbaroo's tail towards the summer house. Suki shook her head as she walked in follow, trailed by Aang and Katara and Zhàn with Ty Lee still cradled in his arms. When they reached the house, they noticed a figure sitting on one of the sloped roofs. Suki's and Katara's faces seemed to turn to discomfort and malice, respectively. Sokka had sprinted into the house so quickly that he didn't notice the mysterious person sitting above them. Aang stared briefly and smiled, but it was wavering. It didn't take long for him to break his stare and look back to the home entrance, his expression diminished.

Ty Lee turned to see Zhàn looking at her, his expression asking, 'Did you know that…' She simply nodded 'Yes.'

Before she could even ask, Zhàn put her down and gave her the go-ahead to talk to the person, only advising her to make it back inside before her food got cold. Ty smiled gratefully and pecked him on the cheek before catapulting herself onto the roof.

Katara slowed her pace as she and the others entered the summer abode. She looked to Zhàn as they approached the dining area.

"Are you _sure_ she'll be okay? What if-"

"No need to worry, Ice Princess. If I've learned anything about Ty Lee, it's that she can handle herself…" Zhàn then smirked. "…Especially _now_."

* * *

Ty Lee smiled sadly as she gazed upon her old friend as she sat upon the top-most roof support of the house. Dressed in her royal casual garbs, she simply stared at the rising sun as if it were both the answer to her prayers and the bane of her existence.

"Hey, Azula," Ty said in greeting as she took a seat beside the disowned Princess. "Have you eaten, already?"

"I just don't understand you, Ty Lee," Azula chided, not turning her gaze from the ascending orange star. "With all the power you wield as a firebender, you squander your talents on something as primitive and as useless as a _dance?_"

Ty Lee chuckled teasingly, something she couldn't have imagined doing with Azula only a year ago. "Admit it, you thought it was pretty cool."

"It was _not _cool, it was pointless and stupid," Azula returned defensively.

Ty Lee smirked. "Your aura says different."

Azula snapped an irate glare to Ty Lee, and then sighed and resigned to staring at the sun again when her friend's features didn't reflect the slightest hint of fear.

There was a red glow around Azula, and Ty Lee's features finally shifted from teasing to concern. She gave her friend as comforting a smile as she could deliver.

"I know you feel helpless and useless. You feel empty without your firebending, and you feel void of love. But you'll get your firebending back, in time. Aang promised he would give back your bending if you showed progress, and you have done astronomically in the past year to become more…uhm-"

"More akin to peace and less prone to killing?" Azula dragged.

"Exactly. And you'll find love, too. If a girl like me, who was afraid of commitment and was overly flirtatious with every guy who walked by me, could find a guy like Zhàn, then I know _you'll _find someone too."

"He's very good to you. Loving, fun..._very_ protective," Azula commented, recalling her first encounter with Zhàn in the labyrinths behind Agni's Falls. "He's almost like a...a father. You're fortunate."

"You'll find someone too," Ty reassured as she draped an arm upon Azula's shoulder. "And in the mean time, you have us."

Azula perked a brow. "Us? Aside from you, who is this 'us?' _You're_ the only one who likes me."

"Well, it'll take time. You have to admit, you've done a lot of bad things, and even though we know your dad was the main reason for how you turned out, it'll still take some time to forgive." Azula remained quiet. "I'm gonna go in and grab a bite. Do you want me to get you something?"

The Princess shook her head in decline. "No, I'll be fine."

Ty Lee started down the roof, but stopped to reconsider. "I can stay with you for a little while if you want."

Again, Azula declined. "No. You go ahead. You deserve to have fun."

Ty stood silent for a minute and then nodded in yield. But before she departed, she turned to her friend one last time.

"_You_ deserve to have fun, too."

* * *

As the sun dipped below the horizon, another day was complete. Earlier in the evening, with the Gaang all banded together on the beach, Ty Lee and the others danced their troubles away under the setting sun (Suki managed to…convince Sokka to dance with her, and even Mai and Zuko joined in). Having eaten their dinner, everyone retired to their beds. But sleep was elusive for Ty Lee. Once more, she slipped out of the house, being mindful to keep from waking anyone. She walked along the tree line again, staring through the foliage to the silver shimmer of the ocean, illuminated by the moon. After a little while, she saw someone leaning against a tree, arms crossed as they glared down at the beach. It was Zuko.

Wordlessly, she joined him and looked to see what was bothering him so. Down on the beach, within the glistening glow of the newly created crystal ring, danced Azula.

"She's been like this for almost an hour now," Zuko explained, glaring with contempt at his younger sister. "She never used to dance; she always thought it was stupid and a waste of time... Now she's tearing up your little dance floor. Has she lost it _again_ or what?"

Staring at Zuko during his brief monologue, Ty saw a dual layering of Zuko's aura. In the under-most layer was a light, powdered blue. Zuko was happy, if only dimly, at seeing this more carefree (and hate-free) side of Azula. Sadly, another aura overtook that layer, one of a bright red color. It matched the malice-filled stare that he gave his sister. The feelings of distrust and dividedness still writhed fresh within Zuko against Azula. Ty Lee knew it may be years before the two of them ever begin to get close…to being brother and sister, again.

Ty Lee didn't answer the Fire Lord's inquiry right away, but rather studied Azula, in much the way the Princess used to study her and others. Azula's moves were swift, precise and graceful…even without her blue fire; her movement still had that gorgeously deadly quality that was always spellbinding to the acrobat. She noticed something else. Instead of the red flare of fire that used to represent the Princess' aura during such maneuvers, Ty Lee saw a swell of blue radiate from her.

Ty turned her gaze from the Princess to the Fire Lord, wearing a small, but joyous smile. Finally, she gave Zuko her answer.

"She hasn't lost it, Zuko," she assured softly, "…She's healing…"

Zuko looked down at Azula, and then back to Ty Lee, trying desperately to see what about this scene translated into 'healing' in the eyes of his ditzy friend.

Ty looked back to Azula again, spying a small twitching at the corners of her mouth. Instead of her signature smirk, Ty Lee saw the birthing of a full-fledged smile. As her lips spread wide and parted, revealing her still-perfectly white, well nurtured teeth, Ty Lee explained…

"…She's finally having fun."


End file.
